GreenMachine

The new technique should yield DRIVER.CAB files that are about 10% bigger than the older version. Check the size of this file from the two different versions. On a full DRIVER.CAB file, saving that 10% can easily add 5 minutes to install time. Tradeoff ...

or ... "Q832483.exe /C:""dahotfix.exe /q /n"" /q:a"Quotes and brackets: they get me all the time ...

Should be: "Q832483.exe /C:""""dahotfix.exe /q /n"""" /q:a"or ... "Q832483.exe /C:"""dahotfix.exe /q /n""" /q:a"... can't remember which, probably the first, but one of those two.

Sure it's legal. Companies do it all the time: HP, Dell, IBM. All you need to do is work out a deal with Microsoft ...

I have a copy, but I would like each driver in it's virgin format ... I check out each one, and add it to my collection. His collection is missing the TXTSETUP.OEM files, the main file I need. I also do have at least one version of most of the certified drivers he has.

Now we're getting somewhere! I'm interested in ANY versoin that I don't have, regardless of whether I have a newer version. Surpisingly, there are quite a few differences in the different versions, as far as PnPIDs supportes, actual hardware names, etc. For example, both the FASTRAK and the ULTRA drivers can be used on the same hardware ... sometimes. Then there are FASTRAK versions that only support some PnPIDs, and other versions that support other hardware. In short, a big mess. I wrote a small tool to help me clean up the files, parse out the relevent info, and do the majority creation of a new, P only TXTSETUP.OEM. So, please, SEND ME YOUR DRIVERS, ONE AND ALL! Thanks, Alanoll! (I'm nasy when on stike, be carful!)

C'mon, you cheapskates. Not one measly driver? Don't make me go on stike ...

Perhaps change the setup.exe with one from the RTM version? I've never seen tat option from a slipstreamed CD ...

Packing the cabs stops the best macines cold in their tracks. As for your previous problems, they certainly smelled hardware to me!

Most of what I might have to say can be found in the Ramblings section of the link below: http://greenmachine.msfnhosting.com/ In short, everything should be done at T-13, unless it NEEDS to be done after setup completes, then it should be done at the GuiRunOnce/RunOnce/RunOnceEx stage. As for whether it looks pretty ... big deal ...

That's a sure sign of trouble! Goodbye easy nights, hello 24/24 Round The World Debugging!

There you go, that's the ticket. Don't be irritated over software's internals: you are trying to use a tool in a way that it was not designed to be used. That will undoubtably lead to frustration! XPCREATE relies on running MANY programs over which I have no control. Thus the need to control the environment. Imagine how furious I would be if I spent a day debugging, only to discover that an alien file was the cause? Spies in the logs, wildcard deletes, and I insist on the "Failsafe" creation before looking into anyone's problem. Yet the real beauty lies in the fact that it works. Every time. So ... now on to more impprtant issues, like Pasta and Grappa!

I am in the process of updating my SATA driver collection. I have created a rudementary TXTSETUP.OEM parser, and generated a "clean" TXTSETUP.OEM for XP only for each of the drivers I have in my current collection. If you have any CERTIFIED drivers, with a .CAT, .SYS, .INF and TXTSETUP.OEM files, please email them to me at the address in my signature. Attached is my current colection of generated TXTSETUP.OEM files, sorted into directories by Driver File name, and then by Driver Version. Your help is most appreciated! DRIVERS.ZIP

My take: http://greenmachine.msfnhosting.com/READING/HFComp.htm

Never seen that one, either ... Where you gettin' this stuff! (Screenshots are often helpfull.)

Exactly where is this "perform additional task" section? Which "Windows Setup" do you mean?

****, gotta be careful with this Open Source stuff: you never know who's toes you are stepping on! OK, cyberchicken, riddle me this: If you have such good programming techniques, why aren't you putting your files in the CHICKEN directory: I never touch that! (Most) every line of that code has a "raison d'etre". You are invited to look, and hopefully learn, but I need to be paid quite a lot before I justify those reasons! That said, I did remove the wildcards, for a future release ...

Save yourself the search: basically, what I know is here: http://greenmachine.msfnhosting.com/READING/defuser.htm

Me, I like the simple answer: run the attached file once for each window to close. This file is part of the IE Administrators Kit. (For fun, select "Open" instead of save, but beware of virii!) closeie.exe

The answer is simple: take MINE!

During the T-13 stage: COPY "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories\Notepad.lnk" "%USERPROFILE%\SendTo\Notepad.lnk"You will need to verify if it is ALLUSERPROFILE or USERPROFILE, but you should get the idea ...

Seems they are hiding those hotfixes. They may be "Windows Update" only items.

Keep us posted!

Microsoft implementatoin of the eXtensible (eXtenable?) Markup Language. http://www.netcrucible.com/xslt/msxml-faq.htm

As you discovered, there is no REG.EXE included with WIN2K. For information, the REG.EXE used in Windows 2003 Server has even more functionality than the XP version. And as homiebrah pointed out, starting IE6SETUP with the /R:N switch avoids a reboot. Careful when using IE in conjunction with RunOnceEx, as IE adds keys to RunOnceEx, for execution on next boot.